Page 56 of Tethered Souls

I smile at him, my neck burning only slightly as I recall what I’m wearing. But neither of the brothers have looked anywhere but at my face, so I nod and breathe and thread my arm through his.

“This is definitely going to make it easier for me to tell you two apart,” I say as we walk. “Which one are you?”

He grins. “Enoch, m’lady.”

xxx

To my slight disappointment, we don’t ride with Enoch and Ezriel. They ride with Rudy, Leno, and his dog Krypto while Varius and I climb into the backseat of another car. Maddox and Khalid are already inside it, the former at the wheel. Maddox places his arm on the passenger seat as he turns around and reverses. His eyes find mine, dip low and then back up again.

“Looking like a babe,” Maddox sings, making me blush. “A babe with the power.”

My brow furrows. “What power?”

“Power of voodoo.”

I grin. “Voodoo?”

“You do.”

I laugh as he turns back around and peels off down the drive, having completed his three point turn. “You are way too young to have watchedLabyrinth.”

“No one’s too young for that classic.” Raising his arm, he jiggles it, and I notice his shirt is white and loose, similar to the one David Bowie wore in the movie.

Excited, I lean forward between the seats to try to get a better look at his outfit. “Holy shit, you look amazing. All you’re missing is the hair.”

“Blame Varius. He vetoed the wig.”

“Varius!” I tease as I move back in my seat, but he does not engage at all.

“Said he didn’t want me to upstage his lovely fiancee.”

A warmth spreads through me even though I know he’s teasing about Varius having called me lovely. Even though Dayne’s advice to keep my walls up around him whispers in my skull. Ignoring my bestie, I glance at Varius. He doesn’t look at me, his eyes on his phone, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy wooing him. No, it would be like pulling fucking teeth.

“So, Micha,” Maddox says, pulling my attention back up front as he starts drumming his hands on the wheel. “I hear you have a sister.”

My eyes narrow, my defenses up quick. “She’s sixteen,” I growl.

He might be the youngest of the Shadow brothers, but he’s still an adult and closer to my age than hers.

“Nah, not like that.” I relax a little bit but not much. “I’m interested in her demon summoning ability,” he continues. “Mind introducing us tonight?”

I study him warily, but he’s twenty-two and a Shadow. He’s also very desirable considering his innate ability to shapeshift. Stefaan would die if he could get those genes in our family tree. Just think of what an assassin could do with that power.

Sourly, I say, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll meet her with no help from me.”

He shakes his head. “Lie, Micha. Say you’ll introduce me. That way you can call in a favor later.”

I blink in surprise, but I’m not dumb enough to hesitate. “I’ll introduce you,” I say.

He laughs. “Good gi –” He suddenly jerks in his seat, his body twisting as he yelps. Khalid casually reaches over and grabs the wheel, keeping the car straight. I stare at him, then at Varius, suddenly clocking him moving as he settles back in his seat.

“Um, what just happened?”

“The fucker stabbed me,” Maddox grumbles. White light emits from the front, a soft glow to tell me he wasn’t cut too deep. Probably just a flesh wound.

“You know better than to tease him,” Khalid says as he releases the wheel back into his brother’s care.

“Tease…” I start, but then it dawns as Varius’ hand lays claim to my thigh.